Murder on Tour
by jemb
Summary: Brennan encounters a murder while on a book tour. Full of BB fluff with a story to add substance
1. Chapter 1

MURDER ON TOUR

CHAPTER ONE

Moonlight floods through the window as Brennan enters yet another hotel room. She drops her bag on the floor as soon as she closes the door behind her. Sighing she looks around and realises this room looks just like every other hotel room she's been in over the last few weeks while on her book tour. With flowery wallpaper on every wall, matching bedspread, curtains and an uncomfortable armchair in the corner she is desperate for the familiar, comforting surroundings of her apartment.

In three steps the exhausted author reaches the queen bed and falls down on her stomach, her eyes closing instantly. But a loud rapping at the door interrupts her moment of peace. Brennan groans and pushes herself up into a sitting position, roughly pulling a stray lock of hair from her face.

"Dr Brennan." Brennan cannot fail to recognise the whining voice of Arthur, the assistant assigned to her on this book tour. Brennan drags herself up and yanks open the door, a glare in her eyes Arthur is getting used to.

"Here's the schedule for tomorrow." He hands her a piece of paper with a grin on his face. "I'll wake you at six."

"Arthur, it's already two." Brennan sighs. After travelling all day she was hoping for a long rest.

"Don't complain Dr Brennan. You've been on this tour for three weeks now. You should be used to the late nights and early mornings." Arthur smiles.

"Goodnight Arthur." Brennan rudely closes the door on the young man and staggers back to the bed. _Four hours of sleep is better than none_. As Brennan drifts off she smiles thinking how weird it is that she's actually craving sleep. Her, the same woman who'll work three days straight on a case and complain when Angela tells her to go home and rest. _If Booth could see me now he'd be laughing_ she thinks.

A phone ringing near her head wakes Brennan a mere two hours later. As she rolls across the bed to pick up the receiver she winces as the button of her jeans digs into her skin. _I am never sleeping in clothes again_.

"Brennan." She answers groggily.

"Dr Brennan, this is Sheriff Anderson." A strong male voice answers. "I realise it's early." Brennan glances at the clock and realises it is barely 4am.

"You can say that again." She mutters as she sits up. _How did he get my number?_ She also wonders.

"I was hoping you might be able to help us." Sheriff Anderson says. "One of my deputies was called out to a warehouse a few hours ago and he discovered some remains there. I understand you are an expert in identifying victims who are…well unidentifiable."

"I'm a forensic anthropologist Sheriff." Brennan sighs as she rubs her eyes.

"Okay." The sheriff says as if he doesn't understand. "Do you think you might be able to come down, give us an idea who our victim might be?" he asks.

"I'm on a book tour Sheriff." Brennan says. "And it's the middle of the night." She adds.

"I realise that, my wife is a big fan. Its how I know you're here." Sheriff Anderson says. "And I'm sorry about the hour but…" Brennan cuts him off. She knows she's going to help. _I can hardly say no._

"Give me the address, I'll be there as soon as I can." Brennan sighs. A few minutes later she grabs her jacket and bag and dashes out her hotel room. As she sits in a cab she begins to feel that thing in her stomach she gets whenever a new case comes around. The only thing missing is that her usual partner isn't here to help her.

At five am the cab pulls up at a warehouse surrounded by police and to Brennan's surprise, two FBI agents, who disappear into the warehouse as the cab comes to a stop. An image of Booth flashes before her eyes and her heart beats a little faster. She knows he isn't here but this scene is so familiar to her she can't help but think about him. But that's nothing unusual. She's been thinking about him a lot in the last few weeks. _More than I should._

"Dr Brennan." A man Brennan presumes to be Sheriff Anderson judging by the uniform and badge approaches her and extends his hand. "I'm Sheriff Anderson, thank you for coming down."

"Where are the remains?" Brennan asks.

"Right through here." Sheriff Anderson gestures through the door and into the warehouse. Brennan strides past him and enters the scene. She sees the two men in FBI jackets standing near the remains.

"Can you step away from the remains." She calls over to them. Both men spin around, a little surprised. "I don't want you contaminating the scene." Sheriff Anderson nods at the FBI agents and escorts Brennan over.

"Dr Brennan, Special Agents Wilson and Hardy." The Sheriff introduces them.

"It's nice to meet you Dr Brennan, we've heard a lot about your work with the FBI." Wilson smiles and shakes Brennan's hand.

"I didn't realise my work was so well known." Brennan furrows her brow.

"Word travels. Special Agent Booth is building quite the reputation for solve rates thanks to you." Hardy chips in. Brennan fakes a smile, a little unnerved by these agents knowledge of her and her work with Booth. She then crouches by the remains and starts to make notes.

"Looks like a female, approximately twenty to twenty five years of age. She's been dead roughly eight weeks." Brennan states.

"Fits the profile." Wilson states.

"Can you tell how she died?" Sheriff Anderson asks.

"I'll need to take a closer look at the remains in a lab." Brennan says.

"We can have the remains taken to the local hospital." Hardy says. "I'm sure they can help you."

"Thank you." Brennan replies. As the agents and the Sheriff look on, Brennan begins the tedious process of logging and packing the bones for transport. As she works she smiles inside thinking about the banter she would usually share with Booth. She hates to admit it but she loves working cases with him. He makes things fun and as much as he drives her mad, she misses him now that he's not around. Even more so now that Agents Wilson and Hardy keep getting in her way. She's already told them to back away several times but the damn agents don't seem to get it.

When the morning comes, Brennan yawns and rubs her burning eyes. She spent what was left of the night and most of the early morning in a lab at the local hospital. For her efforts she has managed to determine the cause of death of the young woman to be a multiple stabbing to the chest area with a sharp instrument, which apparently matches the profile of an existing serial killer. But now, finished with her examination, Brennan has sent the remains by courier to the Jeffersonian for Angela to do a facial reconstruction and for Zach to clean the bones to look for further evidence. The equipment at her lab is so much better than here. It took all her persuasive skills to get the hospital to provide her with a microscope.

Having returned to her hotel and pacified a frantic Arthur by apologising profusely for screwing up his schedule, Brennan takes a shower, changes into a nice summer skirt and tank top and is ready to sit through another book signing. She has enjoyed the signings more than she thought she would but today, with a case looming over her, she doesn't feel much like smiling at the fans and scrawling her signature hundreds of times over. Looking out the window, Brennan can see the queue of people goes out the door and around the block. It's been the same in every town she's stopped in. _Who'd have thought I'd be this popular?_

By lunch-time the queue has dwindled and Brennan is hoping she can take a break soon to call her lab. Having had virtually no sleep in two days, she is tired as hell and hangs her head as the last book is placed in front of her.

"Name?" she asks without looking up.

"Special Agent Seely Booth." Her head snaps up when she hears his voice.

"Booth?" her eyes widen in surprise.

"You need me to spell that for you?" he flashes his little boy grin that sends her heart pounding. She looks him up and down taking in the dark blue jeans, T-shirt and casual jacket.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, dumbfounded.

"Cullen got a call this morning. Agents Wilson and Hardy have passed the buck." Brennan is so surprised to see Booth all she can do is stare. "I should have known you couldn't go a couple of weeks without needing to solve a murder." Booth smiles.

"I didn't go looking for this Booth." Brennan finally finds her voice. "The Sheriff asked for help. I was here and…"

"And now I'm here too." Booth shrugs. "So how about we grab some coffee and solve this case." He rubs his hands together in excitement.

"Uh Dr Brennan." Arthur steps forward. "We're moving on tomorrow." He reminds her. "You can't stay here for this case."

"Who are you?" Booth asks, annoyed at the man's interruption. He hasn't seen or spoken to Brennan for weeks and this man is spoiling things.

"Arthur Daly." The young man replies. "Dr Brennan's assistant." He offers his hand but Booth doesn't shake it.

"Arthur, we have a serial murder case here. That takes precedence over…this." Booth gestures around the bookstore. Brennan turns to Arthur and gives him a smile Booth rarely sees. He can only describe it as a charm smile of her own. And by the result, one to rival his.

"Arthur, surely you can reschedule a few things to give me a couple of days." Brennan says sweetly. Booth stares as Arthur readily agrees to help.

"I'll see what I can do Dr Brennan." Arthur says.

"Good, now go do that." Booth shoos him away. He turns quickly back to Brennan. "Bones, are you done signing my book yet?" Booth asks.

"You seriously want me to sign this for you?" she asks, her pen hovering over the first page.

"Of course." Booth smiles at her. "Come on, I want you to write 'To the greatest FBI Agent in the world, all my love and kisses, Bones'." He grins cheekily. Brennan shields the page as she scrawls a message with a grin on her face. Closing the book she smiles and hands it over to Booth. He flips the cover open and reads her message, rolling his eyes.

"To the greatest pain in my ass, Dr Temperance Brennan." As Booth closes the book, Brennan stands up, a broad smile on her face.

"Thanks Bones, thanks a lot."

"My pleasure Booth." Brennan grabs her bag and strides past Booth, leaving him to follow like a puppy.


	2. Chapter 2

Over a nice lunch in a diner, Booth badgers Brennan with questions about the book tour. She answers as best she can but she finally has enough and stops him.

"Booth, can we get back to the case?" she sighs.

"Okay Bones." Booth nods and gulps the last of his coffee. "Two states, five murders. All women aged eighteen to twenty five, killed by multiple stabs with a carving knife."

"This is the first murder in this state." Brennan realises as she looks over the file on the table.

"The others were in New York." Booth explains. "NYPD didn't connect them until the third case then it got bumped to the FBI."

"Who's been handling the case?"

"Some newbie in New York. He's sending more information to me." Booth explains. "I think he's glad to pass the case off." Booth grins and waves the waitress over to order more coffee. "Much like Wilson and Hardy. You made quite an impression of them."

"They don't know how I work like you do. They were getting in the way." Brennan defends herself. "Besides, it was the middle of the night and I was tired." She pouts. Booth grins. He's glad the two agents found her difficult to work with. He wouldn't be here if they hadn't.

"So what's the plan then Booth?" Brennan asks.

"Well, I need to talk with Sheriff Anderson and the warehouse owner and security. But you need to find out who our victim is." He bites into a donught as he finishes his sentence. Brennan hangs her head. As always, the identity of the victim is the most important. Brennan just wishes she had access to the Jeffersonian lab herself. It isn't that she doesn't trust her team, she just likes to be very hands on and examining bones over a computer screen isn't hands on.

Having dropped Brennan at the hotel to set up a link with Angela, Booth heads over to the Sheriff's office. He is greeted by a smiling Sheriff, something that always makes Booth suspicious.

"Agent Booth, I was wondering when you'd get around to talking to me." The Sheriff booms loudly, asserting his status as the Sheriff and ruler of the town.

"Well here I am. So what can you tell me about the call to the warehouse?" Booth asks, pulling out his little black notebook and pen, poised ready to take notes.

"Lydia here took a call about midnight, a young man it sounded like right Lydia?" the Sheriff turns to the older woman manning a switchboard.

"Sure sounded like it." Lydia leans back to tell Booth.

"He didn't give a name, just told us we should check out the warehouse, that there was something suspicious going on there." The Sheriff explains.

"And you sent a deputy?" Booth checks.

"Martin Denver." Sheriff Anderson states. "Good officer." He nods to himself. "Martin found the remains when he entered the premises."

"And he saw no signs of anyone else around?" Booth asks.

"No, he checked the perimeter and saw no one. No vehicles, no visible tracks."

"When did you call Dr Brennan?" Booth asks. He glances up having been looking down at his notepad.

"It was around 4 in the morning. I knew she was in town, my wife loves her books." The Sheriff laughs a little. "She is obsessed with the relationship between the scientist and the FBI guy. She can't wait until they get together." the Sheriff winks at Booth. Booth looks a mixture of offended at the Sheriff's hints and secretly pleased. He's always been fascinated by Brennan's development of the characters so obviously based on the two of them.

"Back to the case Sheriff."

"Right, right. I called the Doctor at about four. She came out, arriving about five. You're FBI friends had already arrived."

"Who called them?"

"I did. I read about those killings in New York. Our remains sounded so similar." Booth sends the Sheriff a questioning look. Not many Sheriff's would make the connection and call the FBI so soon. Something is suspicious about the Sheriff and it's beginning to bother Booth.

"I'll need to talk to Martin Denver." Booth states. "But right now I'm going to see Thomas Wright, the warehouse owner." Booth says.

"If you need any help Agent Booth, I'll be happy to spare some men." The Sheriff offers.

"Oh, I think I can manage." Booth sends the Sheriff a fake smile and heads for the door.

An hour later Booth arrives at the office of Thomas Wright, outside of town. Booth wasn't expecting much but a small wooden building with maybe three rooms is a little backwoods for someone who owns a large business. At first Mr Wright's receptionist won't let Booth in but then he flashes his badge and all resistance fades.

"I'll let him know you're here." The young woman states. Booth thanks her and strides towards the door. As he reaches it, Mr Wright yanks it open and greets him warmly, maybe too warmly.

"Good morning to you." He booms.

"Good morning Mr Wright. My name is Special Agent Seely Booth, FBI. I need to ask you a few questions about your warehouse off the highway."

"Ah, the young woman found there last night." Mr Wright nods his head. "Tragedy. Come on in." Booth steps inside to begin his interrogation.

As the sun goes down that night, Booth drives Brennan back to her hotel. Booth's interview the warehouse owner and security staff proved fruitless. His early suspicions were just that, suspicions. Warehouse security had been cut since nothing was being stored at the warehouse and Mr Wright and all his staff have credible alibis for the few days Brennan places time of death.

For her part, Brennan spent the day using a computer link with the squints at the Jeffersonian to analyse the remains. She even managed to fit in a few interviews Arthur had scheduled with local press. So far Zach has identified several cut marks on the ribs from the murder weapon and has promised to have more information on the type of weapon by morning. The skull has proved difficult to reconstruct due to some damage but Angela has also promised to work through the night to get an image of the victim. Brennan is a little surprised by their enthusiasm but it occurs to her that in the three weeks she's been away they haven't had a FBI case to work on. _Even they miss working cases with Booth_ she realises.


	3. Chapter 3

**_First of all thank you for the reviews. I'm so glad you all still like my stuff. But I should apologise now because I've really struggled with this chapter. I know it's not as good as the others but I had to get this chapter done and out the way to move on with the story. Please be kind. _**

As Booth's rented SUV coasts towards Brennan's hotel, she yawns, covering her mouth in an attempt to hide her weariness from Booth. She has barely slept in days and with all this activity she is quickly getting tired. Booth notices but doesn't say anything. Instead he just smiles, thankful to just get some time with her. The more time he spends with her now, the more Booth realises how much he's missed her these last few weeks. _More than I should._

Signalling, Booth pulls off the highway and down the wide dirt track to the large hotel set in some woods. After parking at the back of the hotel, Booth walks Brennan up to her room on the third floor. Both are feeling an awkward silence as they walk, neither quite sure what to say.

"So, this tour is pretty tiring huh?" Booth asks as they reach her room.

"I guess." Brennan replies as she opens her door. Stepping inside she turns to face Booth.

"Well you should get some sleep then." Booth says. "I'll be in my room going through the other case files. Agent Rice in New York had them couriered over." He tells her. "Night Bones." He steps back from her door and gives her a little wave as she goes in and moves to close the door.

"Good night Booth." Brennan closes the door on her partner and heads into her bathroom. After a hot shower and changing into black sweats and a white vest, Brennan curls up in bed and tries to go to sleep. But after an hour she gives up. Her mind is racing over the new case and she knows she won't get any sleep until she learns more. She picks up the phone beside the bed and calls reception.

"Can you tell me what room number Seely Booth is registered in?" she asks the night receptionist.

"Room 14, second floor." The receptionist tells her. Brennan hangs up, pulls on a cardigan and slips her feet into her sneakers. Leaving her room she pads down the hall to the stairwell. A few minutes later she reaches room 14 and lifts her hand to knock.

Booth is lying down on the bed, papers and files strewn across the bed, when he hears the knock. He grins, knowing exactly who is on the other side of the door. He rises and crosses the room, pulling the door open.

"Bones, what are you doing here?" he asks with fake surprise. She rolls her eyes.

"You knew I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing you were going through the other files." She whacks him on the arm as she walks in.

"I'm not stopping you sleeping." Booth grins.

"So, what have you got?" Brennan asks before she stifles a yawn.

"As much as I enjoy your company Bones, maybe you should try to get some sleep. It's been a long day and you look tired."

"I'm fine." Brennan smiles. "Now share." Brennan slides onto the bed and starts to leaf through the papers strewn out. Booth slides onto the opposite side and explains the details of the other cases to Brennan.

Half an hour later Booth rises from the bed and picks up the silver ice bucket from the nightstand.

"I'm going to get some ice." He announces. Brennan glances up, stifles another yawn and nods. She turns her attention back to an autopsy report as Booth leaves the room. Her eyes begin to drift shut as she tries to take in the information swimming before her.

A few minutes later, Booth opens the door to his hotel room while balancing the ice bucket in his arms. When the door swings open he stands and looks for a moment. Brennan is sound asleep on the bed, papers clasped in her hands. A content smile crosses Booth's face as he watches her. This case has been a blessing in disguise because he gets some unexpected time alone with her away from the usual distractions in DC. Time he has only just realised he wanted.

Crossing the room quietly, Booth takes the papers from Brennan's hands and tidies up the files on the bed. He then eases himself onto the bed and stretches his arm out across the bed above Brennan's head. Closing his eyes he drifts off into sleep and a world of dreams.

When Booth wakes in the morning, Brennan is sleeping close to him, her head resting in the crook between his arm and chest. Her arms are wrapped across her chest and she looks very peaceful. Booth draws his arm back, slides off the bed being careful not to wake her and makes his way to the bathroom. He showers and changes into clean jeans and a black T-shirt. Ruffling his hair, he steps back into the main room and finds Brennan awake stretching on the bed.

"Morning Bones." He smiles.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." Brennan apologises. "I guess I really was tired."

"Want some coffee?" Booth asks. Brennan looks at the clock.

"I should probably go get changed." She says. "And call Arthur." She rolls her eyes at the thought.

"How about you meet me at the coffee shop down the street and we can get started." Booth suggests. "I'll call in, see what progress was made overnight."

"Okay." Brennan pushes herself off the bed. "I won't be long."

Brennan spends more time than normal getting ready and she knows exactly why. If Booth weren't here she'd just throw on some pants and a top and go. But now that he's around she doesn't want to look just okay. So she digs around in her suitcase and locates the light blue jeans and cute white gypsy top she stuffed in there at the last minute. Leaving her hair down in loose waves and accessorised with a chunky brown pendant she looks good, better than good. Part of her knows she shouldn't be acting like this. But another part of her loves the banter, the sexual tension and the looks he gives her. Playing up to that can be fun and exciting while at the same time safe because Booth is her partner and nothing could ever happen between them.

Brennan slips her feet into her shoes and breezes out the hotel room to meet Booth. She calls Arthur on the way, not at all surprised when he picks up right away.

"Dr Brennan, I've been trying to call you for hours." Arthur says in rather a panicked voice.

"Sorry Arthur, I didn't have my cell on me."

"And you weren't in your room." Arthur adds.

"Arthur, where I am or have been is none of your business." Brennan retorts. _Sometimes Arthur can be so annoying_.

"On the contrary Dr Brennan, it is. Anyway, I've rescheduled so you have three days to wrap things up."

"Thank you." Brennan says.

"Don't thank me yet, I couldn't reschedule a meet and greet tonight." Brennan sighs heavily and listens as Arthur gives her the schedule. She agrees to go just to keep Arthur off her back but it does mean she doesn't have much of the day to work on the case.

By early evening little progress has been made on the case and Booth and Brennan are frustrated. Angela's facial reconstruction is finished but the FBI is still running a search on missing persons' reports looking for potential matches. Zach has narrowed the weapon down to a large knife but the rough cuts on the bones are making identifying a single weapon difficult. Back in her hotel room, Brennan and Booth have been discussing the case while she gets ready to go to her meet and greet.

"I can't believe I have to go to this thing." Brennan complains. "My time could be much better spent on the case."

"What is 'this thing' you're going to anyway?" Booth calls to Brennan through her bathroom door as he tosses a coin in the air over and over.

"It's a meet and greet with town officials at a lodge on the outskirts of town." Brennan calls back from inside the bathroom where she is fixing her hair and make-up.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" Booth asks.

"Yes." Brennan calls. "I'm not planning on staying late."

"But it's a party for you, isn't it?"

"Not exactly. There's going to be a few local authors there too." Brennan runs her hand through her hair one last time then takes Booth by surprise as she yanks open the bathroom door. He stands up straight and stares at her.

"Wow." He smiles and looks her up and down.

"It's not too much is it?" Brennan looks down at the strappy black cocktail dress hugging her figure and flowing out at the skirt, which cuts off at her knees.

"No, Bones, it's not. You look…beautiful." _I hope that wasn't too much_. She stares at him as if he told her she was ugly. "You do." He confirms with a shrug. Brennan snaps her eyes away from his and looks around the room.

"I need my shoes." Brennan says, sounding a little distracted.

"These shoes?" Booth looks down at the floor beside his feet.

"Yes." Brennan takes the two steps over and picks them up. As she lifts one foot to slip the black heel on she falters and grabs Booth's arm to keep her balance. She tilts her head up and flashes him a smile of thanks as she changes foot and puts the other shoe on. As she stands up straight she realises she's still holding Booth's arm.

"I should get going." Brennan announces as she pulls her hand back and heads for the door.

"You might need these." Booth calls to her. She stops and turns, sheepishly smiling when she sees him holding her purse, keys and black satin wrap to match her dress.

"Thanks." She hurries back over to him. Booth walks with her back across the room and out into the hall.

"Have fun Bones." Booth says as he walks backwards down the hall away from Brennan. She smiles before turning and heading for the stairs. As Booth watches her go he wishes he were going with her. Instead, he gets to spend the night alone in his hotel room with case files and interviews to review.

Brennan is exhausted when she finally leaves the party. She is definitely not a social butterfly. And if one more person had asked her about the current case she was ready to drop kick them. One thing she's learned through her work is that news in small towns travels very fast. The night has turned cold and clouds prevent the moonlight from shining through making the drive back extra dark. As Brennan drives along the deserted back road the rain starts to fall. Beginning lightly, within moments it turns into a thrashing storm. As she navigates the road carefully, Brennan suddenly hears a bang and immediately feels the car skidding. She grips the wheel tightly and tries to control the car as it slides across the wet road.

Finally coming to a stop safely at the side of the road, Brennan takes a deep breath. _It must have been the tyre_ she thinks. Braving the pouring rain, Brennan steps out of the car and checks the back tyre. As she suspects, it has blown out. _I'll just change it, not big deal_ she shivers as she moves to the trunk, the cold rain hitting her body and soaking her. Opening up the trunk she looks in and her heart sinks. There is both a jack and a spare tyre but there is a giant rusty nail sticking out of the tyre rendering it useless. Wiping the rainwater off her face, Brennan runs back around to the front and gets back into the car. Reaching for her bag she digs around for her cell. As she tries Booth's number the phone beeps, telling her she has no signal. _I need to get to a better signal unless I want to spend all night out here_.

Brennan climbs out the car and into the rain again. After walking up the hill a little, she keeps dialling Booth's number, both his cell and the hotel number. She finally gets a connection to his cell.

"Booth it's me." She shouts loudly to be heard over the rain.

"Hey Bones, I thought you'd be back by now." Booth says.

"My tyre blew out." She explains.

"What?"

"My tyre blew out." She yells.

"Are you okay?" Booth is immediately worried. With the bad weather it wouldn't be difficult to crash.

"I'm fine, but the spare has a nail in it so I'm stranded."

"What? You're breaking up." Booth strains to hear his partner.

"I'm stranded!" she yells, wiping the rain falling onto her face from her hair.

"Where are you, I'll come pick you up." Brennan wipes more rainwater from her face as she gives Booth rough directions. Before either can say anything else though, her signal cuts out. _Damn_ she hurries back to the car, careful not to trip in her shoes, and gets in.

Freezing cold now, Brennan tries to start the engine to blow out some hot air to try and warm up a little. But as she turns the key the engine just splutters. After several attempts, Brennan gives up and leans back in the car. She is soaked from head to toe, her cocktail dress is clinging to her and now she has no heat. _What a night_ she thinks.

By the time Brennan sees headlights coming towards her and pulling in, she is shivering and has her arms wrapped around herself. The rain is still pounding down so she waits for Booth to walk over to her with an umbrella shielding him from the rain. He knocks on the window and she grabs her purse and wrap and pushes the door open, stepping out and under the umbrella.

"You're soaked Bones." Booth looks her up and down, taking in what was her gorgeous cocktail dress now soaked and a little dirty.

"I had to get out to look at the tyre and call you." She explains. Brennan meets his eyes and can see he is concerned. "I'm alright Booth, just a little cold and wet." She smiles.

"Come on." Booth places his hand on her lower back and turns her towards his SUV. "We'll arrange a tow for the car tomorrow." He says as they walk to the car. Keeping the umbrella over her Booth walks around to the passenger side and pulls open the door. Brennan slides in and watches as Booth shuts the door for her. He joins her in the car moments later. Starting the engine, he blasts out hot air but Brennan continues to shiver, unable to get warm. Booth twists in his seat and pulls off the grey hooded FBI sweater he's wearing and passes it to Brennan.

"Here, this'll keep you warm." He says. Brennan takes the sweater and thanks him with a small smile. She pulls the sweater over her head and slips her arms in. Relishing the warm material she folds her arms across her chest and pushes herself back into the seat. Booth can't help but reach over and fix the twisted hood at her neck.

"Better?" he asks.

"Yes, thank you." Brennan smiles. Booth turns his attention back to the road and pulls the SUV onto the road to head back to the hotel.

"So, how was the party?" he grins.

A little over an hour later Brennan is under a hot shower in her hotel room, warming her cold body. She spends what seems like forever under the power shower letting the water flow over her hair and down her body. She finally turns the water off, wraps a towel around her body and steps out into the steamy bathroom.

Out in the main room, Booth answers the door to room service and a young man wheels a trolly in. Booth gives him a tip, then closes the door. He grins as he lifts the lid on one of the plates, inhaling the aroma of freshly cooked steak. _Meat!_

"Are you nearly done Bones?" he calls loudly. He looks up when the bathroom door opens. Brennan emerges in light blue jeans and to Booth's pleasant surprise, his FBI sweater. Her hair is damp and hanging in loose waves around her face, her cheeks flushed from the hot water.

"You ordered food?" Brennan asks.

"I was hungry." Booth smiles. "Besides, I received a few calls while you were off being adored and I thought you'd want to be filled in." Booth lifts the cover off a second plate to reveal a toasted club sandwich with skinny fries.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be hungry." Booth explains. Brennan feels a surge in her stomach. _How did Booth know to order my favourite snack? _She wonders. "I ordered a bottle of wine too." Booth admits as he lifts an un-corked bottle of red wine. Brennan smiles and lifts her plate off the trolley, taking it over to the bed. She sits down and pulls her legs up, crossing them and resting the plate on them. Booth passes her a glass of wine which she accepts and takes a sip of.

"Cheers Bones." Booth sips his own wine before lifting his plate and joining Brennan on the bed.

"So, what have you found out?" Brennan asks.

"Our victim is Abigail Wyatt, aged twenty one from the right here in this town. She was stabbed at least thirteen times in the chest. Her parents reported her missing to the police when she didn't come home after a couple of days." Brennan bites into her sandwich as she listens to Booth ramble on about how out of character this murder seems. "All the other victims were found in more public places, not warehouses in the middle of nowhere."

"You don't think this case is connected?" Brennan asks as she wipes some mayo from her lip.

"No, I don't think it is and I can tell you why. Well actually boy genius figured it out." Booth admits, referring to Zach. "The stab wounds on all the other victims were calculated, precise, same angle, regimented across the ribs. In our victim, the stab wounds are rough, frantic and unorganised. I don't think the same person killed the New York victims and Abigail Wyatt."

"I go to one party and I miss all the good stuff." Brennan complains playfully.

"Ah, the life of a world famous author." Booth shrugs and grins at her. He likes this Brennan, the relaxed and happy Brennan he so rarely sees.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Brennan asks.

"We talk to Abigail's parents."


	4. Chapter 4

As the sun sets, sending out a warm orange glow, Booth and Brennan drive back to town along the highway. Traffic is light but as they round a large bend, Booth spots a queue ahead.

"What the…" he trails off as he scans the road ahead and slows the SUV.

"Look." Brennan pats his arm to direct his attention to a large tanker strewn on its side across both sides of the highway.

"Damn." Booth pulls the SUV to a stop behind another car. He quickly takes off his seatbelt and steps out.

"Where are you going?" Brennan asks before he closes the door.

"To find out how long this is going to take." Booth tells her. He then shuts the door and strides off ahead through the traffic. Brennan looses sight of him and chooses to rest her eyes in his absence.

A knock at her window a minute later wakes her and she sits up in her seat, surprised to see a man grinning at her through the window. He knocks again and she reluctantly lowers the window.

"Dr Temperance Brennan?" he asks. Brennan nods numbly. "Dr Joshua Weston." He sticks his hand through the window for Brennan to shake. She obliges but regrets it immediately as the man takes it as a sign she is happy to talk to him.

As Booth makes his way back to the SUV through the still traffic about fifteen minutes after leaving his SUV, his eyes narrow and his brow furrows when he spots Brennan standing very close to a tall good looking man at the side of the SUV. Booth's strides become longer and faster as he closes the distance between them with a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach he doesn't want to acknowledge as jealousy.

Brennan is unenthusiastically engaged in conversation and notices Booth approaching her out of the corner of her eye. _Thank God_ she sighs to herself.

"Hey Bones, what's going on?" he asks, eyeing up the man talking to her.

"Booth, this is Dr Joshua Weston, he's an archaeologist." Brennan explains.

"Dr Weston, this is my partner, Special Agent Seely Booth." Brennan introduces the two men.

"It's nice to meet you." Dr Weston extends his hand and Booth shakes it tightly, asserting himself as the alpha male. Dr Weston winces a little and Booth draws his hand back, smiling inside at winning this exchange.

"So, you two work together?" Dr Weston asks.

"Yes." Brennan replies curtly.

"What about your writing, how do you fit that in?" Dr Weston asks. "Your books are so well written you must spend a lot of time on them."

"I manage." Brennan replies. "Booth, did you find out how long we're going to be here for?" Brennan asks, turning to Booth and resting her hand lightly on his arm. He is surprised at her physical gesture until he sees the look on Dr Weston's face and realises she is trying to make him back off. _She isn't interested in him, thank god_ Booth realises he is relieved.

"Several hours." Booth says. "Equipment is being brought in to move the tanker but it'll take at least two hours to get here, then they have to actually shift the thing and clean up the mess on the road."

"That gives us time to work on the case." Brennan says as she reaches for the handle of the door.

"Yeah." Booth follows her lead. "If you'll excuse us, Dr Weston." Booth opens the passenger door for Brennan and she slides inside. Shutting the door, Booth steps around the vehicle, keeping his eyes on Dr Weston the whole time. The man finally seems to get the picture and he backs off towards his own car, dejected.

Once inside, Booth can see Brennan is more relaxed.

"So, is that your biggest fan?" Booth smiles.

"Hardly." She replies.

"Well he seemed very interested in…" Brennan cuts Booth off quickly.

"Don't say it." She warns him.

"I wasn't…"

"You were so don't." Brennan states.

"Come on I was just..." Booth is silenced again by Brennan's glare. He shrugs and smiles, stretching around to lift a file from the back seat of the car.

"So you want to go over this stuff?" he asks.

"I can't believe we're stuck here for hours." Brennan sighs heavily, ignoring Booth's question.

"Relax. It's not like we had anywhere else to be." Booth drops the file onto his lap

"Speak for yourself, I was planning on getting some sleep tonight." Brennan huffs.

"You can sleep in the car." Booth points out.

"Not comfortably." Brennan shifts her weight, emphasising her point.

"You need to chill out a little Bones." Booth sighs and leans back in his seat. The file lies on his lap unopened. "These things happen." He adds.

An hour later, when the night sky is dark and the stars shining brightly, Booth suddenly opens his door and gets out the car. Brennan wakes from a light slumber and opens her eyes to see him shut his door, climb onto the bonnet of the SUV and lean back against the windscreen. Curious she steps out and stands at the side of the car watching him.

"Booth, what are you doing?" she asks for the second time that day.

"Just looking at the stars. I thought you were asleep." He turns his head towards her and pats the bonnet next to him. Brennan looks dubious for a moment then pulls herself up, settling back close to Booth with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Don't you love looking at the stars." Booth says.

"Not really." Brennan shrugs.

"I do." Booth sighs

"Why?" Brennan asks.

"No matter what's going on, how stressed I get, how worked up about anything I am, when I look at the stars, I'm reminded how big the universe is and how tiny a part in that universe I play. It puts things in perspective." He turns to Brennan and she turns her head to meet his gaze, their faces only inches apart and their eyes locked. "Plus, it can be pretty romantic when you get a girl out with you." He winks making Brennan's stomach flip. She quickly turns her head away and looks up at the sky. Her eyes light up when a few minutes later she sees a shooting star streaking across the sky.

"Did you see that?" she asks, her voice a little breathy.

"See what?" Booth asks. He'd been too busy watching her to see what was happening in the sky.

"The shooting star." Brennan replies. She consciously decided not to use the scientific term because she knows Booth would just pester her about it.

"No, I guess I missed it." Booth smiles. "Did you make a wish?" he asks. Brennan pauses a moment then turns to him.

"Why would I make a wish?" she asks.

"It's what you do, when you see a shooting star." Booth tells her.

"Why? It's not magical." She shrugs.

"Because it's fun Bones." Booth sits up and braces his weight on his arm, leaning over Brennan slightly. "Just make a wish." He says. Brennan looks at him for a moment then closes her eyes. When she opens them seconds later Booth is still staring at her.

"What'd you wish for?" he asks.

"I'm not telling you." Brennan replies with a smile curling at her lips. Wrapping her arms across her chest Brennan shivers a little as a cool breeze passes over her. "Hey Booth." She says.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a spare jacket in the car?" she asks.

"You cold?"

"A little." Brennan replies. Booth shrugs off his own jean jacket and passes it to her.

"Here."

"Don't you need it?" she asks. Booth merely shakes his head and pushes the jacket closer to her. Brennan pauses a moment but then accepts the jacket and slips it on, hugging it close to her.

"You know Bones, wearing my clothes is getting to be a bit of a habit." Booth jokes and lies back against the window, looking up at the sky.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry this chapter is so short. It had to be written but it didn't feel right tagging it onto the last chapter or at the start of the next. As my apology, I've posted another chapter after this**_

Over breakfast the next day, Brennan can see Booth's frustration at the lack of progress on the case. They have no motive, no real suspects and no murder weapon.

"So what now?" Brennan asks.

"We talk to everyone." Booth leans back in his chair. "She was a local girl, it's a small town. Someone must have seen her with someone or heard something."

"What are we going to do? Go door to door?" Brennan asks.

"We'll hit main street, talk to store owners, restaurants." Booth explains. "I'll start at one end, you at the other and we'll meet back at the hotel at say three." He sees a confused look crossing Brennan's face.

"What?" he asks.

"You're letting me ask questions on my own?" Brennan asks. "What happened to 'I'm the FBI Agent'?" She asks, appropriately using air quotes making Booth smile.

"Time Bones. We don't have a lot of time." Booth can see a grin spreading across Brennan's face. "Don't get carried away. Just ask if they remember Abigail, when they last saw her, if she was with anyone, doing anything odd." Booth instructs. "If you get any information call me so I can ask more questions, officially." He raises his eyebrows.

"Fine." Brennan sighs.

Several hours later Brennan has stopped for coffee in a small coffee shop. As she sips the hot beverage, a young man approaches and sits down.

"Dr Temperance Brennan?" he asks.

"Yes, can I help you?" Brennan asks curtly.

"My name is David Evans, I'm with the Courier." He explains. "I was hoping to interview you for an article we're doing on the Abigail Wyatt murder."

"I'd rather not comment when the case is on going." Brennan states. "Who put you up to this?" she asks

"Your assistant." He says quickly. "Come on Doc, you're a forensic anthropologist helping the FBI solve a small town murder. Give me something, please."

"Really, I'm sure the FBI will be happy to issue a statement when the case is solved." Brennan says firmly.

"So you're confident Abigail's murderer will be caught?" Brennan turns on her flirty smile, leans forward and looks right into the reporter's eyes.

"No comment." She says. The reporter laughs and stands up.

"You live up to your reputation Dr Brennan." He says as he heads out. As soon as he is gone Brennan gets on the phone to Arthur and asks him to meet her back at the hotel.

At the far end of the town's main street, Booth is engaged in conversation with Millie, the baker. Whilst feeding Booth dougnuts and coffee she talks about Abigail.

"She was a sweet girl, I knew her from when she was a little baby."

"Did you see a lot of her?" Booth asks.

"She came in with her boyfriend every weekend." Millie says with a smile. "That Kyle is a sweet boy, treated her real good. That's why I was surprised to see her with another boy a few months ago."

"Another boyfriend?" Booth sits up straight, intrigued and excited by the new information.

"I only saw them the once, thought it might be a relative for a while but he was…well let's just say he was being a bit more friendly than a relative should." Millie look embarrassed.

"Do you know who this kid was?" Booth asks.

"At the time no." Millie says. "But I saw him the other day. I was a little surprised."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know his name but he was with that Dr Brennan, the author. The young man with the dark hair and glasses." Millie describes Arthur Daly perfectly and Booth's heart begins to go faster. _Arthur was with the victim two months ago right before she disappeared. It has to be him!_ Booth leaps up from his seat.

"Millie, thank you for the coffee, and the dougnuts, but I have to run."

"Anytime Agent Booth." Millie smiles after him. "You have a nice day now."


	6. Chapter 6

Booth is out the door of the bakery and on the main street in seconds. He pulls out his cell and calls Brennan but she isn't answering.

"Damn." He curses and snaps his phone shut. Booth stands with his hands on his waist looking up and down the street. Brennan could be in any store anywhere up this street. Booth realises his best bet is to head back to the hotel and wait for her.

Brennan opens the door to Arthur and gives him a stern look.

"Dr Brennan." The young man steps inside, looking a little nervous.

"Arthur." Brennan backs into the room. "I know what you did." She says, referring to the journalist cornering her. A panicked look crosses Arthur's face.

"What?" he asks.

"I know what you did Arthur and can you imagine how I feel?" she asks. Arthur's face changes from panic to anger and Brennan notices his more firm stance.

"I did it for you Temperance." Arthur says as he walks threateningly towards Brennan.

"What?" she asks, confused at his sudden darkness.

"I killed Abigail for you."

"You killed Abigail." Brennan gasps and backs towards the wall, quickly trying to work out the best way to incapacitate Arthur. Her phone is all the way across the room so she can't call Booth for help.

"Don't you see how much publicity this has created? Dr Temperance Brennan aids local police in a serial murder while on a book tour." Arthur laughs. "I planned this so carefully." He steps closer to Brennan who is only a foot or so from the wall in her hotel room.

"Arthur, you murdered someone. You murdered an innocent girl." Brennan tries to make him see sense.

"You were supposed to believe she was murdered by the serial killer in New York." Arthur says. "You weren't supposed to figure out it was me." As Brennan raises her arms to take on Arthur, he grabs the lamp and with nowhere to move, Brennan catches the full force of the lamp on the side of her head. Stunned, she falls to the ground, her vision swimming and an intense pain pounding through her skull. Arthur drops to his knees and pins Brennan to the floor.

"I'm sorry Temperance. I don't want to do this but you know too much." He shakes his head and clamps his hands around her neck. Brennan immediately fights back and grabs his wrists trying to loosen his grip. But her actions have little effect and as her oxygen supply is cut off, her body weakens and her vision goes cloudy. Arthur clamps down harder, a determined look on his face. Brennan can think of only one thing to do to make him stop. She closes her eyes and goes limp, pretending to be dead. Arthur buys it and lets go of her neck, standing up.

"You were amazing Temperance. I'm sorry you had to go so soon. The world would have loved more of your books." He says.

Booth hurries to his SUV and jumps in, taking off down the street before putting his seatbelt on. Dust flies everywhere as he hurtles down the dirt road to the hotel. After haphazardly parking, he jogs round the front and into the main reception.

"Has Dr Brennan returned?" Booth asks.

"Yes, she…" the woman doesn't finish her sentence because Booth takes off for the stairs, desperate to speak to Brennan before she contacts Arthur or he contacts her.

After Arthur has gone, Brennan lies still on the floor for several minutes wanting to make sure he has actually left. Finally she opens her eyes and takes several shaky breaths as she sits up, leaning against the wall for support.

She hears a knock at her door and her heart pounds. But a familiar voice calls her name and she immediately relaxes, relief flowing through her body.

"It's just me Bones, I have important information about your assistant, are you in?" Booth calls through the door.

Brennan struggles to her feet and staggers across the room, using the furniture to steady her. Heaving her body backwards she pulls open the door and Booth gets a look at her, his eyes widening with shock.

"Important information like Arthur was here in town eight weeks ago and killed Abigail Wyatt?" Brennan croaks. Booth stands stunned at Brennan's appearance. Her hair is tousled, she has a large bruise and cut on her head and he can see purple bruises appearing on her neck.

"What happened?" he steps close to her and his hand reaches out for her head, stroking the skin around the bump before moving to her neck. Brennan closes her eyes as he touches her. His touch is soft and gentle, so different to what she just experienced with Arthur.

"Arthur was here." She whispers, her throat hurting.

"He did this to you?" Booth asks, his voice thick with both anger and concern.

"He thinks he killed me." Brennan suddenly feels light headed and she leans forward, her body colliding with Booth's and her head finding his shoulder. His hands grasp her elbows and keep her on her feet.

"You should sit down." Booth backs Brennan over to the bed. Holding her elbows firmly, he sits her on the edge of the bed.

"Tell me what happened." Booth asks as he kneels on one knee in front of her. Brennan slowly explains how she called Arthur to confront him about the reporter but Arthur thought she knew about Abigail and admitted to killing her. All the time Booth stares at Brennan but she purposely avoids meeting his eyes, afraid that if she looks at him she'll start to cry.

"I'll get you some ice for your head then we should get you to a hospital." Booth rises to his feet.

"I'll be okay Booth, you don't need to fuss." Brennan protests. Booth ignores her and hurries out the room to go to the ice machine down the hall. While fetching the ice, Booth calls the Sheriff, explains the situation and asks him to pick up Arthur. Booth figures he'll be getting out of town after what he's done and if the Sheriff acts quickly his deputies can catch him as he leaves using the only road out of town.

When Booth returns to the hotel room minutes later, Brennan has scooted up the bed and is lying back against the pillows, her knees drawn up and a hand on her bruised and swollen throat. Booth sighs and crosses the room to her side.

"Here." He takes a handkerchief from his pocket and wraps a few ices cubes in it before placing it over the bump on her head. Brennan closes her eyes, soothed by the cold. "I asked the Sheriff to pick up Arthur. He's going to call when they have him in custody."

"Mmm hmm." Brennan mumbles.

"Are you sure I shouldn't take you to hospital?" Booth asks.

"They'll just tell me to get some rest. I'm not going to sit around an emergency room for hours to hear that." Brennan sighs.

"Well, at least get some sleep."

"I can't, not until we have Arthur." She says quietly. As Booth adjusts his position on the bed, his cell rings.

"Booth." Brennan listens to his end of the conversation. "What? You have got to be kidding…I'll be right over." Booth hangs up.

"What's going on?" Brennan asks

"Arthur turned himself in. Apparently 'killing' you was too much for his conscience. You stay here, I'll be back shortly."

"I'm coming with you." Brennan sits up.

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Booth says. Brennan just looks at him with a face that tells him nothing he says will change her mind. Sighing heavily he agrees to let her come with him. "Fine but you have to promise to let me take you to the hospital after." Booth bargains with her. Again, Brennan's glare tells him he hasn't won so he resigns and grasps her hand as she slides off the bed and stands up.

Down at the Sheriff's office, Arthur is waiting in a room to be interviewed. He has already provided a statement to the Sheriff admitting to Abigail Wyatt's murder and the 'murder' of Dr Brennan. He doesn't yet know she isn't actually dead. Pacing the floor anxiously, Arthur stops and looks up, his face turning to one of relief when he sees Brennan walk in.

"I am so sorry." He starts. "I am so, so sorry Dr Brennan, I don't know what came over me."

"I know what came over you." Brennan says angrily. She steps towards Arthur but Booth grabs her arm and holds her back.

"Bones." He whispers. She glances at him and stands with a frown on her face as Booth steps forward, placing himself between her and Arthur.

"Sit down Arthur." Booth states. Arthur does as he is told. Booth steps to the side and gestures for Brennan to take a seat opposite Arthur. She slides onto the chair and glances up as Booth takes his position protectively at her side, leaning over to brace his hand on the table. Arthur slumps down, his shoulders hunched as he faces up to his crimes and suffers a Booth style interrogation.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sorry I haven't updated this story in a long time. Life got in the way. I've just seen the season finale and loved it so much. I'm also incredibly happy Bones got picked up for another season. I can't wait to see where the characters and story goes from here. I just hope the good directors at Sky One in the UK decide to show the second season over here. Otherwise I might die! **_

_**Anyway, this is the final chapter. I'm not 100 happy with it but I struggled to get an ending and just had to go with what I had. I've been working on some one shots which hopefully I'll get posted soon. I also have a million story ideas in the wings too so if my muses co-operate I'll have a few more stories coming up.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

As the moonlight floods through the window, Booth adjusts his position in the armchair, glancing over at Brennan. She is sleeping soundly, curled up at the far side of the bed with the sheets lying loosely around her waist. Even in the dark the bruising on her neck is visible. He wishes he'd been able to convince her to go to the hospital to be checked over. But Brennan was as stubborn as always and after interrogating Arthur and obtaining a full written confession, Brennan convinced Booth to bring her back to the hotel. But he did manage to persuade her to let him stay in the room with her, to keep an eye on her.

"_Come on Bones, I gave in on the hospital thing." Booth had said. "You were hit on the head. What if you deteriorate overnight?"_

"_It's just a bump Booth." Brennan replied. "I don't need you to look after me."_

"_What if I want to?" Booth asked, stepping close to her, maybe a little too close. "It's this or I drag you kicking and screaming to the hospital for examinations, x-rays, those awful gowns with the open back…" he smiled and let her see the sparkle in his eyes._

"_Fine." Brennan agreed with just a little smile curled at the corner of her lips._

Safe in the knowledge that Brennan is soundly asleep, Booth drifts off to sleep himself, his head leaning backward and resting on the back of the chair. He is only asleep for a couple of hours when a scream snaps him awake. He sits bolt upright to see Brennan sitting up in bed, sweat beading on her forehead and her eyes wide with fear. His heart beats faster with concern for her.

"Bones?" he rises from the chair and crosses the room, sliding onto the bed beside her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asks. Brennan continues to stare straight ahead, her breathing rapid and raspy. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asks as he tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear. Brennan clamps her eyes shut for a moment and nods her head. Booth moves his hand to the back of her head and guiding her gently, he draws her to his chest, enveloping her in his arms.

"It's okay, it was just a dream." He whispers as he rocks her back and forth. "It's okay, I'm right here." Booth is surprised to realise that he _isn't _surprised that Brennan doesn't fight him as he holds her. He's known for a while that their relationship has moved past being just partners and even friends. The fact that right now she is letting him hold her so close when a year ago she would have broken his arm if he'd even tried to so much as touch her speaks volumes. She allows him to open doors for her and she's stopped asking him to stop calling her Bones. Allowing him to comfort her is just another step forward towards something neither of them is quite sure of.

After a minute or so, Brennan pulls back but stays in Booth's arms.

"Sorry." She apologises quietly.

"It's fine Bones." Booth smiles and strokes her cheek gently. "You want to tell me about it?" he asks as he leans back and finds her bright blue eyes. Brennan shakes her head and taking Booth off guard, she leans back into him and rests her head on his chest.

"I just want to sleep." She mumbles into the fabric of his wife beater. Booth hugs her closer and leans back against the headboard. Stroking her hair with one hand, Booth rubs Brennan's back with the other, comforting her for something she doesn't want to share. He can only guess that Brennan's nightmare was about Arthur's attack.

It doesn't take long for Brennan to fall asleep. The soft touch of Booth's hands and the rhythmic beating of his heart lull her back into a deep sleep. Booth remains awake the rest of the night thinking. He thinks about everything his partner has been through since he met her and how strong she is for surviving it all. The number of times he's almost lost her haunt him and while part of him wants nothing more than to protect her from everything, another part of him knows she has to be out there doing what she does. _Bones is a free spirit. She can't be contained_.

The next day, Brennan is in her hotel room packing her stuff. She places her last sweater into her suitcase and closes the lid with a heavy sigh, turning her head when she hears a knock at the door. Seconds later Booth lets himself inside, his face serious.

"You ready to go?" he asks. Brennan turns back to her case, snaps the locks shut and turns around to face him.

"I'm ready but I'm not going back to DC." She states. The disappointment, surprise and confusion are evident on Booth's face.

"What?" he asks.

"I'm continuing my book tour." Brennan waits, expecting Booth to react like normal and launch into an explanation of why she should go back to DC with him, how she nearly died and should be resting.

"Okay." He nods. A quizzical look crosses Brennan's face as she wonders why he isn't doing his usual protective thing."What?" Booth asks when he sees the look on her face.

"Nothing, it's nothing." Brennan shakes her head and turns back to her suitcase. Booth takes a few steps over and hovers behind her. As Brennan hangs her head and fusses with the tag on her case, Booth places his hands gently on her shoulders. Leaning in closer he softens his voice.

"What is it Bones?" he asks. She takes a deep breath before turning to face him. His hands remain on her shoulders, twisting to accommodate her new position.

"I guess I was just expecting you to…I mean..." She shakes her head. "Why aren't you trying to convince me to go back to DC?" she blurts out before hanging her head, unable to look at him. Booth lifts Brennan's chin gently with his fingers.

"Do you want me to?" he asks, searching her eyes for an answer.

"No, I mean, I…I don't know." Brennan replies. "I'm…confused." She admits.

"Confused about what?" Booth asks, knowing Brennan won't be able to explain it.

"I…" Brennan turns her head, releasing herself from Booth's gentle hold and steps to the side. She sighs and starts to walk across the room but Booth grabs her wrist firmly but not hard.

"Don't walk away from this." He says. "We've both been walking away when we should be talking." When Brennan turns to face him, she sees his eyes are pleading with her.

"What is 'this'?" Brennan says rather emotionally. Booth releases her arm and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"I know how I feel Bones. And I think you feel the same but I can't be sure unless you tell me." Brennan watches him intently, her brow furrowing as she thinks through the mess in her head.

"Booth." She starts. "I…don't know what to say, I really don't."

"How about you just tell me how you feel." Booth says. He is actually surprised he's having this conversation with her. He never meant to but one thing led to another and he doesn't want to ignore what's been going on between them the last few days.

"I don't know how I feel." Brennan's face softens. Booth realises this isn't going anywhere.

"You know what Bones, maybe you should stay on your tour." He sounds frustrated and Brennan picks up on it. Her defensive body language makes in response to his tone of voice then Booth feel guilty and he softens his voice. "It'll give you some time to think."

"I guess." She folds her arms across her stomach and lowers her head.

"But I'll be there when you get back Bones." Booth assures her. "I'm not running from this." He closes the gap between them and cups her face with his hand. Her eyes flutter closed and she feels herself leaning into him, her hands grasping the fabric of his T-shirt. Booth slips an arm around her waist and draws her closer to him. Stroking her cheek, he brings his lips to hers and kisses her softly. When he pulls back she opens her eyes and finds his. "Think about it." He almost whispers before he releases her and steps back, putting a safe distance between them.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Brennan arrives back at her apartment late in the evening. Lugging her suitcase and bags to her apartment she struggles inside. After dumping her luggage just inside the door, she falls onto the couch and hugs a cushion. The last two weeks have been very strange for her. Despite the hectic schedule of her tour, which was carefully kept by her new, non psychotic assistant, Brennan found herself thinking about Booth constantly. He made it perfectly clear to her how he feels and all she's been able to think about is that she feels the same and couldn't tell him. Whether it was because she was too scared to or some other reason, Brennan knows now that she's back she has to face up to it. Maybe after a good night's sleep she'll have the energy to.

Her eyes are only closed for a few minutes when there is a knock at her door. Her heart pounds because she knows exactly who it is. A small part of her is scared to answer but a much bigger part wants to see him, hold him and explain to him in a rational way how she feels. Pulling herself together Brennan crosses the room and opens the door.

"Hey Bones." Booth greets her. Brennan notices he's carrying a big brown paper bag, most likely filled with food from Wong Foo's. "I know you just got back and you're probably tired but I thought maybe you'd be hungry." As he talks, Brennan stares deep into his eyes, everything becoming so clear. "I know how you hate aeroplane food and…" he doesn't get to finish his sentence. Brennan loops her arms around his neck, pulls him closer and kisses him passionately. She doesn't know where it came from or if she's making a huge mistake but she just couldn't help it. When she steps back Booth looks confused.

"Bones, I…"

"Are you coming in?" she grins. Both steps inside but doesn't take his eyes off her. "Bones, does this mean?" he asks.

"What did you get?" she asks him, reaching for the brown bag. He pulls it back playfully.

"Not until you answer my question." He smiles.

"What do you think?" she grins and slips her hand behind his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. She had planned to talk to him about it all first but somehow just seeing him unleashed a passion in her she has been suppressing and all she wants is to hold him and kiss him and be with him.

"Now what did you bring?" she repeats

"The usual." Boot shrugs and walks to the kitchen trying to play it cool. But inside his chest is pounding. _She feels the same. She feels exactly the same_. Brennan follows him and the pair work together as they pull the packages from the bag.

Half an hour later the food is gone and Brennan and Booth are lying down on the couch. Brennan is positioned with her back pressed into Booth's chest, his chin resting on her shoulder and his arm draped over her waist holding her close to him.

"Are you sure you want me to stay, I mean you must be tired." Booth whispers as he nuzzles at her neck.

"Mmm hmm." Brennan replies sleepily.

"You should go to bed and get some sleep." He says sensibly. Brennan shakes her head and twists her body towards Booth.

"I'm comfortable right here." She whispers. Booth looks down at her and tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Okay, but when you're grumpy in the morning because you're tired, don't blame me." He smiles and kisses her softly. Brennan lowers her head to his chest and closes her eyes. She feels Booth's arms tighten around her and for the first time in a long time she feels safe and loved. Falling asleep she knows that no matter what happens down the line, she's made the right choice. She and Booth are meant to be together.


End file.
